Atlanta’s IT Industry Looks to Gain Ground in 2014

As 2013 came to a close, employers in the Atlanta area reduced the amount of open IT jobs by a slight margin, narrowing the market for job seekers hoping to land a job late in December. Although the number may sound disheartening, it no reason for IT professionals to lose faith in 2014’s hiring potential.

December is notorious for companies reducing the number of job offerings they release onto the market, which is likely the result of many department managers preparing for their budgets for the following year. January begins the job seeker marathon, and employers will be adding new jobs onto the market as soon as they iron out the specifics of their 2014 budgets.

The Numbers

According to a SkillProof Inc. study conducted in recent weeks, employers reduced the amount of available IT jobs in the Atlanta area by 1.6% in December, slightly decreasing the total number to 3,670 (down from 3,730 in November). This number is also a decrease from 2012’s end-of-year total, which closed out at 3,880.

The top IT positions in the Atlanta area that lost jobs from last year were Systems Engineer/Support (dropping from 910 to 760), IT Architects/Consultants (dropping from 870 to 700), and Software Developers (dropping from 670 to 580). Conversely, gains were made in IT Management (rising from 550 to 640), IT Sales and Marketing (rising from 260 to 340), and Training/Tech Writing (rising from 60 to 110).

What Skills Are In Demand?

SAP lead the way in the Atlanta area with 350 more positions available than 2012 (up from 170 to 420). SQL and SQL Server also saw large gains in available jobs (rising from 500 to 610 and 380 to 460 respectively). Finally, Business Analysis had a great year with an increase of 100 jobs (up 460 to 560).

Lots of Potential for Atlanta

Despite the drop in jobs in December, Atlanta is still considered a thriving hub for tech companies (especially startups). According to CIO, Atlanta ranks number 10 on their “Top 10 US Cities for Technology Jobs”. The entire Atlanta area is poised for strong growth, and jobs seekers have a lot to look forward to.

January is the season of hiring. If you are IT professional in the Atlanta area, meet the team who can help you jump start your search today.